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The Living Center & Kakley Graduate Annex Records

 Record Group — Box: 01
Identifier: RG-145

Collection Scope and Contents

This collection documents the planning, construction, and significance of the Living Center and Kakley Annex. The collection contains floor plans for both buildings, a CD of the dedication of the Kakley Annex, photographs of the Living Center before renovations (also are pictures of the Blake Hall side of the building), and a couple photographs of the exterior of Kakley Annex.

Dates

  • Creation: 1991-2012

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Unrestricted

Conditions Governing Use

Rights status not fully evaluated.

Read our full copyright statement.

Historical Note

The Living Center at Springfield College serves as apartment style housing for students. Originally known as the Logan Street building or the Standard Electric Time Building, it was was purchased by Springfield College in 1990. The Standard Electric Time Company was founded in 1884 and their headquarters were in Springfield from 1911 to 1981. They manufactured synchronized clock systems and fire alarm systems, reportedly the first such manufacturing company in the United States. The former Standard Electric Time Building had been in use for 76 years. The purchase price and renovation costs were part of a $7 million bond issue the college took. The building was split into two distinct sections, the Living Center and, eventually, the academic section, with classrooms and offices, eventually being called Herbert P. Blake Hall. The entire building measured 120,000 square feet. The Living Center opened in September 1990. It became the second building on campus to house apartments, after the Townhouses. The new Living Center helped the housing shortage that was occurring at the time. The Kakley Annex was constructed in 1991 to be used for graduate housing.

The Living Center has a capacity of 224 residents, made up of four floors with 47 total apartments. Each apartment houses 3 to 6 people. The Living Center is available to seniors and juniors. Each apartment has a kitchen, a common room, and private bathroom. The students can live in either single or double rooms within the apartment. There is a lounge located on the first floor, a laundry room, and a courtyard in the back of the building to allow for socializing and events to take place. The Kakley Annex holds 24 graduate students. The students have individual rooms; but share a kitchen/dining area, living room, and 2 bathrooms.

On April 13th, 2007, a dedication service was held to name the graduate annex the Kakley Graduate Annex. This was a done as a permanent symbol of Joseph Kakley’s long standing commitment to Springfield College and the Old Hill Neighbor, where he grew up in the 1940’s. Joe Kakley operated one of the largest home-building supply centers in Western Massachusetts, J.R. Kakley & Sons, Inc.

Written and researched by Elise White in April, 2014

Chronology

1990: Springfield College purchases the Standard Electric Time Company Building on Wilbraham Avenue.

1990: Living Center opened as a residence dorm for students and what is to become known as the, Kakley Annex (2007), is constructed to become housing for graduate students.

2001-2001: Building is renovated to become a modern academic building and temporarily named Wilbraham Hall.

2007: April 13th, 2007 Kakley Graduate Annex dedicated.

Written and researched by Elise White in April, 2014

Extent

.25 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

Arrangement

Since this is an artificially created collection there is no original order. The collection is organized as follows: floor plans, news articles, and photographs. Other than digitized items, there is no particular order within the folders.

History of the Collection

There was no formal acquisition of the materials for this collection. The collection is artificially created. Materials were received from different places at different times. The acquisition sources and dates of the materials are unknown.

Digitized Materials

Browse digitized materials from this collection. This collection is partially digitized.

Related Materials: Records Within Springfield College Collections

  1. RG 110- Springfield College Building and Grounds Records
  2. Springfield College Trustee Records
  3. Springfield College Marketing and Communication Records--Scrapbooks and News Clippings
  4. Student Life—Photographs
  5. Student Activities Records
  6. RG 118 – Herbert P. Blake Hall Records
  7. Springfield College Yearbook Collection
  8. Springfield College Catalog Collection
  9. Springfield College Newspaper Collection

Subject

Title
The Living Center & Kakley Graduate Annex Records
Status
Completed
Author
Amanda DiPaolo
Date
2009-12
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2012-02: Revisions made to the finding aid by Jeffrey Monseau.
  • 2022-07: Transferring information from the original Word document to ArchivesSpace.

Repository Details

Part of the Springfield College Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Springfield College
Judd Gymnasia
263 Alden Street
Springfield Massachusetts 01109 U.S.A. US
413-748-3309